Terms of Service

01Acceptance of these terms

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) form a binding agreement between you and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management and Development (“CIPMD”), 36 South 18th Avenue, Suite D, Brighton, CO 80601, United States. They apply to your use of cipmd.net and any related websites, forms, examinations, learning resources, events and services (together, the “Services”).

By accessing the website, submitting an application, paying a fee, registering for an examination or using any of our Services, you confirm that you have read and agree to these Terms, our Privacy Policy, our Refund Policy and the CIPMD Code of Professional Conduct. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.

02Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old, or the age of legal majority where you live, to apply for membership or certification. If you use the Services on behalf of an organisation, you confirm that you are authorised to accept these Terms for that organisation.

Specific membership tiers and certifications have their own eligibility criteria, which form part of these Terms.

03Applications and accounts

• Accuracy. All information and documents you submit – including qualifications, employment history, references and evidence of impact – must be true, complete and your own. We may verify any information with third parties.
• Misrepresentation. Submitting false, misleading or plagiarised material is a serious breach. We may refuse, suspend or revoke membership or certification, and fees will not be refunded.
• Account security. If you are given login details, keep them confidential. You are responsible for activity under your account and should tell us immediately about any unauthorised use.
• Keeping details current. Please update your contact and employment details so that we can reach you about renewals, results and important notices.

04Membership

CIPMD offers several membership tiers and routes, described on our Membership Tiers and Membership Routes pages. Membership is granted at CIPMD’s discretion following assessment against the published criteria.

• Membership is personal to you and cannot be transferred.
• Membership runs for the period stated when you join (normally 12 months) and must be renewed to remain active.
• Some tiers, such as Fellowship and Honorary awards, are by nomination or invitation only.
• Members must meet any continuing professional development (CPD) requirements that apply to their tier.
• We may update membership benefits from time to time; we will tell you in advance about any material change.

05Certifications and use of designations

When you earn a CIPMD certification or designation (such as CIPMD-CP, CIPMD-CPC, CIPMD-CSE, CIPMD-CTS or CIPMD-PEF), you may use the designation and digital badge on your CV, email signature and professional profiles, provided that:

• your certification and any required membership remain current and in good standing;
• you use the designation exactly as awarded and do not imply a higher level than you hold;
• you stop using it immediately if it expires, is suspended or is revoked.

Certificates, badges and designations remain the property of CIPMD. We may publicly confirm whether a person holds a valid designation.

06Examinations and assessments

• Booking. Examinations are offered by computer-based test, remote proctored online, in-person written and practical assessment formats, as listed in our Examination Fee Structure.
• Identity. You must present valid photo identification. For remote exams you must meet the technical and environment requirements and consent to being recorded.
• Integrity. Cheating, impersonation, using unauthorised materials or devices, sharing exam content, or attempting to obtain questions in advance is strictly prohibited.
• Consequences. If we reasonably believe malpractice has occurred, we may withhold or cancel results, ban you from future examinations, and suspend or revoke membership, following our investigation procedure.
• Rescheduling and remarking. Rescheduling, remarking and certificate reprint fees apply as published. See the Refund Policy for cancellations.
• Accommodations. Candidates who need reasonable adjustments should request them when booking. See our Accessibility Policy.

07Professional conduct

All members and certificants agree to uphold the CIPMD Code of Professional Conduct and the ethical standards of the profession, including integrity, accountability, confidentiality and inclusivity. Complaints about a member’s professional conduct may be referred to the CIPMD Standards Council, which may impose sanctions up to and including removal from membership.

08Fees and payment

Fees for membership, examinations and other services are shown on our website or provided in writing before you pay. Fees may differ by region; in Africa and the Caribbean, fees may be set in local currency through a CIPMD country agent.

• Fees are payable in advance unless agreed otherwise.
• You are responsible for any bank charges, currency conversion costs or taxes that apply.
• We may change fees for future periods; changes do not affect fees you have already paid.
• Refunds are handled under our Refund Policy.

09Acceptable use of the website

When using our website you must not:

• break any law, or infringe anyone’s rights, including intellectual property and privacy rights;
• upload viruses, malicious code or anything that could damage or disrupt the website;
• try to gain unauthorised access to our systems, other users’ accounts or restricted areas;
• scrape, copy or harvest content or personal data using automated tools without our written permission;
• submit content that is defamatory, abusive, discriminatory or misleading;
• impersonate CIPMD, our staff or another person, or falsely claim to hold a CIPMD designation.

10Intellectual property

All content on the website and in our Services – including text, the CIPMD name and logo, designations, the CIPMD Standards Framework and Professional Assessment Framework, examination content, study materials, graphics and software – is owned by or licensed to CIPMD and protected by copyright, trademark and other laws.

You may view and print pages for your personal, non-commercial use. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, sell or create derivative works from our content without our prior written permission. Examination content is confidential and must never be shared.

11Content you submit

You keep ownership of the materials you submit, such as case studies, research and portfolios. You grant CIPMD a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use them to assess your application, maintain your record and administer our Services. We will ask for your separate permission before publishing your work or using it in promotional materials.

12Third-party links and services

Our website may link to third-party websites, learning platforms, conference sites and social media. We do not control these sites and are not responsible for their content, availability or privacy practices. Your use of them is at your own risk and subject to their terms.

13Disclaimers

We work hard to keep our content accurate and up to date, but the website and its resources are provided “as is” and “as available” for general information. They are not legal, financial or professional advice. We do not guarantee that the website will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that obtaining a CIPMD credential will lead to any particular job, promotion or salary. See our full Disclaimer.

14Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, CIPMD, its officers, council members, staff and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special or consequential loss, or for loss of profits, revenue, data or opportunity, arising from your use of the Services.

Our total liability to you for any claim relating to the Services is limited to the amount of fees you paid to CIPMD in the 12 months before the claim arose. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, such as liability for fraud or for death or personal injury caused by negligence.

15Indemnity

You agree to compensate CIPMD for any claims, losses or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Services or your violation of anyone else’s rights.

16Suspension and termination

You may end your membership at any time by writing to us. We may suspend or end your access to the Services, or suspend or revoke membership or certification, if you seriously or repeatedly breach these Terms or the Code of Professional Conduct, fail to pay fees, or if we are required to do so by law. Where appropriate, we will give you notice and an opportunity to respond, and you may appeal through the Standards Council.

17Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Colorado, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. If a dispute arises, please contact us first – most concerns can be resolved quickly and informally. If it cannot be resolved within 60 days, either party may bring proceedings in the state or federal courts located in Colorado, unless the mandatory consumer laws of your country give you the right to bring a claim in your local courts.

18General

• Changes. We may update these Terms. The latest version will always be on this page with its “Last updated” date. Continuing to use the Services after a change means you accept the updated Terms.
• Severability. If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.
• No waiver. If we do not enforce a right immediately, we do not give it up.
• Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the policies referred to in them, are the entire agreement between you and CIPMD about the Services.

19Contact us

Questions about these Terms? We are happy to help.